Hatch cover lock



y 5, 1954 J. N. BORLAND 2,679,419 HATCH COVER LOCK Filed Feb. 3, 1951 Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application February 3, 1951, Serial No. 209,269

6 Claims. 01. 292-2565) This invention relates to improvements in locks for the hatch covers of covered hopper cars, re-

frigerator cars or ships.

The principal object of the invention is slim plicity of construction and operation, and to provide such a lock which is carried entirely by the hatch cover and may therefore be assembled therewith, so that when the hatch cover is hinged to the hatch frame of the car, the lock is immediately ready for use. In present practice the hatch covers and hatch locks are furnished separately which results in additional assembly cost by the builder of the equipment.

Since tolerances are rather liberal in the railway supply field especially, it is a further object of the invention to provide a means whereby when the hatch cover and lock is initially installed upon the car, the lock may be adjusted to suit the particular hatch frame conditions so that the lock will thereafter function properly with that hatch frame.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing forming part of this application and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Fig. l is a top plan view of the improved hatch cover lock illustrating a portion of the hatch cover to which the lock is applied and a portion of the hatch frame.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the lock and section of portions of the cover, hatch frame and associated parts of a car.

3 is an end view of the lock and a portion of the cover.

In the drawings a side plate of the car is indicated at it, which extends from end to end of the car and is usually a z-bar with the outer flange extending downwardly and the inner flange upwardly, as shown. To the inner flange of the side plate is attached a pair of spaced angle brackets, one of which is shown at H, and to an inwardly extending flange of said brackets is secured an end of the transverse angle carlines l2, which carlines are spaced apart so as to occur on opposite sides of the hatch frames, indicated at i3. Said hatch frames are secured to said carlines to form a substantial support therefor in the roof structure. An eaves roof sheet is shown at it, having a downturned outer flange 85 which overlaps and is secured to the inner flange of the side plate. Said eaves sheet curves inwardly so as to rest upon the end portions of the carlines l2, and then terminates in an upwardly turned flange Hi secured flatwise to the outer end of the hatch frame E3. The ends of the eaves sheet are welded to the edges of the adjacent roof sheets. The sides and ends of the hatch frame project above and below the car roof and are provided along the upper margins with an outwardly turned and downwardly inclined flange indicated at H.

The lock bracket comprises a channel-shaped plate Ihaving a web 20 and spaced parallel sides l-2 its sides, as at 22, to the outer margin of the hatch cover 23, which margin terminates in a downturned flange 2L; overlapping flange I! of the hatch frame when the cover is closed, as shown in the drawings. The bracket is positioned on the margin of the cover so that a portion thereof will extend outwardly beyond flange 2 8'. Web 20 is cut-away at the outer end of the bracket so as to permit the pivotal mounting between the ends of the walls Zl-Zl of the upper end of the J-shaped locking dog 25. This locking dog is of substantial size, narrowed at its upper end so as to just freely fit between walls 2l-2I and be pivoted therein by the pivot pin 25 extending through the walls and upper end of the dog. The lower end of dog 25 extends inwardly when in locked position, and then upwardly so that its free end El engages the under side of flange I! and when pressed firmly thereagainst holds the cover tightly upon the hatch frame. A central slot 22 is cut through the inwardly extending por tion of the dog, through which slot is applied a T headed bolt 29, which bolt also passes upwardly through aligned holes 30 and 3!, through the bracket web 2!) and the bracket end of handle 32. Handle 32 is of a width to freely fit between walls Zl-Zl of the bracket, and, at the bracket end, the handle is provided with a pair of spaced downwardly extending wings 33 through which and the sides 24-21 are aligned holes to receive the pivot pin 34 for pivotally uniting the handle to the bracket.

Side walls 2l2l are curved upwardly rearwardly so that the upper rear corners thereof will occur above the handle 32 and permit application of a seal pin 35 through aligned holes in walls 2 i-2l, which pin, when handle is in closed position, bears against the upper surface thereof and prevents the handle from being raised. When the parts are thus assembled the nut 36 on bolt 29 may be screwed down until bolt 28 raises end 2? of locking dog up firmly against the flange H, which holds the cover down tightly thereagainst.

It will be noted that on opposite sides of the slot 28 the dog is provided with a pair of stop shoulders 37, which normally engage the T head Web 20 of the bracket is welded along a of bolt 29 and prevent the dog from swinging outwardly to the position shown in dotted lines. When, however, the seal pin 35 is removed, the handle 32 may be raised which will lower the bolt 29 until the T head thereof clears the stops 31, at which time the dog 25 may swing by gravity out from under the flange H when the hatch cover may be raised.

When the cover is closed the dog is forced manually inwardly until the stops are again behind the tee head of bolt 29, when the 'handleiis lowered, raising bolt 29, causing the cover to tightly engage the hatch frame, at whichtimethe seal pin 35 is reinserted in place and the .cover will remain closed. A car seal may then be applied through slot 40 so that the seal pin may not be removed without removing the seal.

I claim:

1. A look for the cover of a railway car hatch frame .having upstanding walls terminating in a lateral frame, said lock comprising a bracket secured to saidcover adjacent one side thereof and extending outwardly beyond said one side, a'locking dog pivoted at one end to said bracket and provided at the other end with a hook portion adapted to underlap said flange, an operating handle .pivoted adjacent one end to said bracket, and means connecting the pivoted end of said operating handle with said dog intermediate its ends, whereby raising the pivoted end of said handle will raise the hook portion of said dog to tightly engage the under surface of said flange and means optionally associated with said bracket and said handle to hold said handle and thereby the dog in said engagement.

2. .A look for the cover of a railway car hatch frame having upstanding walls terminating in a lateral flange, said lock comprising a bracket secured to said cover adjacent one side thereof, an operating handle pivoted adjacent one end to said bracket, a locking dog pivoted at one end to said bracket outwardly of the pivoted connection of said handle, means adjustably linking the outer end of said handle with .said dog intermediate its ends, said dog underlappingly engageable with said flange, whereby operation of .said handle to raise .the pivoted .end thereof will correspondingly raise said hook portion into engagement with said flange to hold said cover closed .thereagainst and means optionally associated. with said bracket andsaid handle to hold said handle and thereby the dog in said engagement.

3. A look for the cover of a railway ear hatch frame having upstanding walls terminating in a lateral flange, said lock comprising a bracket adapted to be secured to saidcover, an operating handle pivoted adjacent one end to said bracket, a locking dog pivotally mounted to said bracket, said dog having 2. depending hook portion adapthaving a hook portion lateral flange, said dog having a depending ed to underlappingly engage said flange, adjustable means linking the pivoted end of said handle to said locking dog intermediate of its ends, whereby operation of said handle to raise the pivoted end thereof will correspondingly raise said hook portion into engagement with said flange to hold said cover closed thereagainst and means optionally associated with said bracket and said handle to hold said handle and thereby the dog in said engagement.

4. A look for the cover of a railway car hatch frame having upstanding walls terminating in a lateral flange, said lock comprising a bracket adapted to be secured to said cover, an operating handle pivoted adjacent one end to said bracket, a locking dog pivotally mounted to said bracket :and havinga longitudinal slot therethrough, said dog having a depending hook portion adapted to underlappingly engage said flange, adjustable means linking the pivoted end of said handle to said locking dog through said slot, whereby operation of said handle to raise the pivoted end thereof will correspondingly raise said hook :portion into engagement with said flange to hold said-cover closed thereagainst and means optionally associated with said bracket and said handle to hold said handle and thereby the dog in said engagement.

5. A'lock for the cover of a railway car hatch frame having upstanding walls terminating-in a lock comprising a bracket adapted to be-secured to said cover, an operating handle pivoted adjacent one end to said bracket, a locking dog pivotally mounted to said bracket and having a longitudinal slot therethrough, said 1100!; portionadapted to underlappingly engage said flange, adjustable means linking the pivoted end of said handle to said locking dog through 'said slot, said locking dog having a stop shoulder engageable with said adjustable linking means when the lock is in locked position, whereby operation of said handle to raise the pivoted end thereof will correspondingly raise said hook portion into engagement with said. flange to hold said cover closed thereagainst and means optionally associated with said bracket and said handle to hold saidhandle and thereby the dog in said engagement.

6. A lock as specified in claim 4 wherein said adjustable means comprises a T headed bolt passing through said slot with the T head thereof selectively positioned across the slot when the cover is in locked position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 287,715 Porter Oct. 30, 1883 1,919,226 Craigie Mar. 5, 1912 2,132,328 Tatum Oct. ,4, 1938 

